How They Did It: Burning Annie Arrived at Distribution After a Long, Long Decade Of Catastrophes
If an indie film is lucky enough to get distribution at all, the release is its one shot, a match you can’t...
How They Did It: Take Me Trusted Test Crowds to Cut a Tighter Story and Get More Laughs (Exclusive BTS Photos)
It all looked good on paper. And during shooting. And even during the first month or so of editing. But during the...
How They Did It: DP Daniel Levin Spent a Year Embedded with the FBI For the Series Inside the FBI: New York
We circle an abandoned building in a giant field. I have a seat belt on, but the door is wide open and...How They Did It: Directing a Film in the Pacific Ocean From 5,000 Miles Away in Losing Sight of Shore
The quote goes: “You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” That idea...
How They Did It: Surviving British Columbia Downpours and an Errant Cow to Make Even Lambs Have Teeth
Finance globally, shoot locally is the mantra at Random Bench, the L.A.- and Vancouver-based production company and boutique creative agency we founded....
How They Did It: One Week and a Day’s Eulogy Scene Was Staged and Shot to Mirror Its Protagonist’s Mental State
The heart of my film One Week and a Day takes place at the very end. From writing to production to the very last...How They Did It: To Juice Its UFO Scenes, Phoenix Forgotten Used Air Vacuums, Taxidermied Animals and Other Practical FX
Before directing Phoenix Forgotten, I started out my career as a graphics guy, doing titles and animation with Adobe After Effects and...
How They Did It: Breaking Down Two Key Flashback Transitions in the Thriller Dig Two Graves
The title of my film Dig Two Graves is inspired by a Chinese proverb that warns: “When you embark on a journey...How They Did It: Thriller Ascent to Hell Made a Small Location Feel Large Through Careful Planning
When I closed my eyes I could see it: a factory capable of holding more than 500 workers throughout its three levels....
Shooting for Salvation: The Director of Free in Deed Proves the Meaning of "Errors Done Right" in This Commentary
I spent 10 years planning, writing, researching and visualizing Free in Deed. But the final film that I wrote, directed, edited and...
Guide 2018
Summer 2017
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Winter 2017
Guide 2017
Year in MovieMaker
Inside the Issue: Best Of
The Best Film Schools in the U.S. and Canada 2017: Film Programs to Shape You Into the Next Moviemaking All-Star
Perhaps you’re someone who dreams of a career in moviemaking, and has come to the realization that the discipline, experimentation and personal relationships that flourish in an...8Inside the Issue: Cinematography
What’s in Your Kit? The Underwater Gear Used in Jeff Orlowski’s Gorgeous Environmental Doc Chasing Coral
How do you show irrefutable proof that the world’s coral reefs are rapidly dying due to climate change? Director Jeff Orlowski’s feature Chasing Coral follows an...2Inside the Issue: Directing
Of Bad Apes and Twisted Revenge: Matt Reeves, Steve Zahn, Weta Digital and Others on War for the Planet of the Apes
Actor Steve Zahn—known for his roles in That Thing You Do, Riding in Cars With Boys, and Dallas Buyers Club—once stumbled onto an online post about...